General inquiry; is anyone else miffed that Shimano eliminated/phased out their (rear-drag) 'trigger' reels? Being an 'old codger' and somewhat set in my ways, I'd gotten really accustomed to using this type of reel; now, they're nearly impossible to find ! They're either in the really cheap range ($15/$20) or start at over $60, which is just a bit beyond my budget, as I'm on a fixed income ! I've owned two 'Sidestab' models over the past 25-30 years ($35/$40) and they were just fine ! Not too long ago, my fishing gear was damaged in a car accident
(was T-boned in the left rear quarter); my gear just happened to be in that corner of the trunk ! Now, it's going to cost me nearly $250 (on a really tight budget) to replace those two rigs due to the price increase for those reels !
Personally, I'd really like to see them bring that model back ! Any opinions ?
Go for it ! Don't care who gets rich on it; would just be happy to see them GONE !
One thing I've found that often causes this problem is using too light a lure for the line weight; either go to a heavier lure, use lighter line for those particular lures, or use your fingers on the line while reeling your lure in to create more drag, This should help minimize line twist and 'birds' nests' !
Living in Arizona, 'skeeters' aren't much of a problem down here in the Valley, but I'm guessing they could be in wooded areas like the 'Rim' and White Mountain areas; back in New Hampshire, though, it was a different situation ! Not only were the mosquitos a pain, but we also had to endure swarms of 'black flies' which were often worse and could get into your eyes, ears and nose ! They were jokingly referred to as the N.H. 'state bird', although dealing with them was certainly no joke !
Night fishing is a great idea, and from what I've read and heard, should yield bigger bass and 'cats', but is not feasible for
everyone !
Freshwater fish; most bass, crappies, perch, - OK !
Small to med. trout - hold firmly but gently around body ! Larger trout - two fingers upright into rear of gills ! Muskie, pike, walleye, gar, - smaller ones around body, away from gill plates
(very sharp); larger fish - use lip gripper ! Not much experience with saltwater species, but if any species have rows of sharp teeth and/or are aggressive, keep hands/fingers away from fishes' mouth !
Was reading recent posts regarding fishing in hot weather; this is how my friends and I have dealt with it over the years - if fishing from shore, try to find decent shaded area; shaded or not, the wet T-shirt method works very well ! Take shirt/T-shirt off, soak it in lake/stream, wring out well and wear it wet ! The evaporation that ensues will lower your body temp 10 to 15 degrees; once it dries, repeat to stay cool until weather cools or you're done fishing ! Works well with hats, too, to keep your head cooler in extreme heat, and should help reduce chance of heat exhaustion/heatstroke as well !